Monday, March 29, 2010

Back from Houston's Comicpalooza. Cheers to all you guys who turned out. I sold out of everything and had a fantastic time. Utterly exhausted with much work to do though. Will get to pics from Houston as I chug through "Scenes From The Road". For now...

Still in Florida, at A Comic Shop.

I like their eunuch based style.

Someone actually made me sign this this way. Why not eh?

I got a tour of the "Full Sail" University campus before the CHOKER signing. Cool stuffs. A nice, very well well funded place.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I'm leaving for Houston early tomorrow morning. Might be silent til I get back.

I'll be at ComicPalooza this weekend, where I'll be attempting to not get arrested.

Will have prints, original art ( Wormwood, Choker & such ) for sale, as well as doing commissions. $150 for letter sized painted stuff, $250 for 11x17. Just look for the big red banner with the "T" on it. Under this you shall find an exhausted Australian.

Signatures in books and quick sketches cost absolutely nothing. Neither does a chat.

So, onto the photos...so many more to come.

Ad found in airline magazine.

The "corporate psychic consultant." Really. Worked out great for Enron, Lehman Brothers etc etc am sure.

I get my own shelf at A Comic Shop in Orlando. Awesome sauce and a grand shoppe.

And we sold the lot at the signing too.

I come from a country with no rabies. Thus, this both scares and excites me in a bit of a 28 Days Later fashion. Once bite away from madness and death?

McSorley's NYC after the CHOKER Midtown Comics Signing ( where we sold out of all normal copies of the book practically, ) . Possibly the most awesome man-bar I've ever been to. You could literally smell the testosterone here. Quite awesomely surreal for a horribly metro-sexual prick like me.

Monday, March 22, 2010

The CHOKER tour is over and by all accounts, was a great success. Cheers hugely to all who came out to the signings as well as the Emerald City Con. We sold out in most places and have been told the rest would be on the way out soon enough. HUGE thanks to all the retailers we visited. It's what makes doing comics such a great job.

If you've not heard... both CHOKER #1 and #2 have SOLD OUT:

Official Press Release

CHOKER #1, the first of a six-issue detective noir series by industry superstar BEN TEMPLESMITH and writer BEN MCCOOL, is completely sold out at the distribution level. Image Comics is rushing a second printing to press, for release alongside CHOKER #2 on March 17.

"The response to CHOKER has been tremendous!" Templesmith exclaims. "Thanks to all the readers and everyone who has joined us at CHOKER events around the country. It's more than a couple of blokes could ask for!"

McCool adds, "This wouldn't be possible without the readers. So, big thanks for reading CHOKER. I hope you're having as absolute a blast with it as we are!"

"We are incredibly proud to be working with Templesmith and McCool on CHOKER, and we're as thrilled as they are about the phenomenal response to the first issue," says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "Their work on the series is unmatched, and I can't wait to see readers' response to the rest of the series."

CHOKER stars Johnny "Choker" Jackson, once one of Shotgun City's most promising police officers, is a bitter private detective with a terrible case of Alien Hand Syndrome. But he's unexpectedly been offered a job back on the force, provided he can nail a twisted drug dealer selling a very exclusive product, that is...

CHOKER #1 Second Printing, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.99, will be in stores March 17, 2010, the same day as CHOKER #2 (JAN100458).

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Templesmith and McCool's Choker #2 Sells Out

Artist Ben Templesmith and writer Ben McCool have done it again! Like CHOKER #1, the second issue of their critically acclaimed and popularly received CHOKER miniseries has sold out at the distribution level. Image Comics is prepping a second printing to be released alongside CHOKER #3.

"Truly, awesome sauce. I really, REALLY appreciate all the readers sticking with us onto #2, said Templesmith. I don't know what we've done to have the Space Squid bless us with such luck and support from both publisher and reader alike but I'd like to think it shows that people are still willing to take a punt on brand new creator owned comics and that it's worth putting the time and effort into them. It's all been incredibly rewarding.

Added McCool, "What great news! All of our readers deserve a pint for their stellar support!"

CHOKER is a six-issue detective noir miniseries released by Image Comics. It stars Johnny "Choker" Jackson, once one of Shotgun City's most promising police officers, is a bitter private detective with a terrible case of Alien Hand Syndrome. But he's unexpectedly been offered a job back on the force, provided he can nail a twisted drug dealer selling a very exclusive product, that is...

CHOKER #2 Second Printing, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.99, will be in stores April 21, 2010, the same day as CHOKER #3 (FEB100391).

Friday, March 19, 2010

CHOKER tour nearly done... my body is battered and broken. Big updates soon but a huge thanks to all who came out to see McCool and I. How us horrible bastards can have such nice fans I'll never fathom. You all rock the awesome sauce.

Friday, March 12, 2010

2 days of madness this weekend no doubt. I'll have an artists table, should have a bit red "T" banner bloody thing. Doing commissions, selling original art ( Got some CHOKER, WORMWOOD and a little GI Joe with me I think ) as well as limited edition prints of a few things.

Commissions are all in pen, ink, watercolour painted grey tones...maybe with some spot colour if it's going to look good. First come first served really. I can probably get through a few over 2 days. Small ( letter sized ) are $150 and larger 11x14 ( or 17, I forget which I've got on me right now ) are $250

Prints are $30

Quick sketches are as usual, absolutely free but you really put a smile on my face if it's done in one of my books or you at least have a book or something to have signed. ;)

And obviously, there's a con EXCLUSIVE CHOKER #1 cover...which should be below. I hear there's only 500 of these suckers or so.

Besides me, the con has a great bunch of guests, rather impressive list really. Big ones for me are Darick Robertson, who's works I grew up with, and want to meet Barry Kitson! The Brit brigade really are in attendance too, with Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. I love the Brits since they can hold their liquor and conquer a quarter of the globe before it's time for tea.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Northernmost human settlement in North America, up in the arctic. Was only about -25 to -30 C when I was there. ( like -22 F )

Yes, I was freezing my man-tits off.

It was a homecoming of sorts. To the place that changed my life in many ways because of a book that became a movie. Time now, to put all that well in the past and move on. This was a symbolic "goodbye" to all that, on the day of my birthday. No phone, no net. Just me and my thoughts on the shore of the Arctic Ocean.